Spark arrester



May 6,1930. G, V ISK'ER 1,757,760

SPARK ARRESTER Filed July 9, 1927 Gw A'ITEIRNEYS INVENTEI Pg Patented May 6,1930 v UNITED STATES PATENr-f oFFI CE f I SIMON ennaanus vrsxnn, or AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS- SPARK annnsrnn Application filedJuly 9, 1927, Serial No. 204,574, and in Switzerland September 4,1826.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and has for its object to provide an improved system for conducting the ex- 7 haust gases into the atmosphere whereby no sparks are carried out with the gases.

According to this invention the exhaust gases are caused to pass through a device or chamber in which they are made to whirl on their way from the engine cylinders to-"the 1e atmosphere, any particles of solidmatter being completely burnt before they leave this chamber. The exhaust pipes from one or more internal combustion engines arev arranged to open into a common receiving l5 chamber, from the upper part of which a connecting pipe leads to the whirl-imparting chamber, which the gases entertangentially. If desired a silencer may be provided in the length of each exhaust pipe between the engine and the receiving chamber. The exhaust gases leave the whirl-imparting chamber tangentially and enter an exhaust pipe which is preferably of largercross-section than the inlet pipe, the open end of this pipe extendingabout mid-way down the length of the chamber. Conveniently fixed or adjustable guide vanes may be provided between the receiving chamber and the whirl-imparting chamber by means of which the stream of gases is directed tangentially into the latter,

and in the preferred construction a helical conduit is formed within the whirl-imparting chamber between theinlet and outlet port-s thereof.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but two constructions by way of example are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 shows one arrangement in crosssection on the line a-a of Figure 2,

Figure 2 is a plan, and

Figure 3 is a plan of part of an alternative construction according to the invention in which guide vanes are provided between the receiving chamber and the whirl-imparting chamber.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the exhaust gases from one or more engines pass into pipes 4, 5 and 6, from which they enter a common receiving chamber 3.

. purpose of withdrawing solid-residues from WVhere desirable, exhaustsilencers or muf- 1 flers, may be inserted in the several exhaust conduits leading to the receiving chamber. A smoke flue 7- is also provided whichpasses directly through the chamber 3 into the-a'tmosphere. Although not necessary where onlythe exhaust gases of one or more inter 'nal combustionengi'nes are to be" handled,

such a flue is used to discharge the smoke gases of a furnace in instances where the de '60 vice of the invention is'employed' as a common exhaust for an ent-ireplant consisting of one-or more furnaces and one or moreinternal combustion engines. The exhaustgases pass from the receiving chamber tangentially by a port 10 into a whirl-imparting chamber 2 through a helically shaped conduit 9 extending down into the chamber. The outlet end IlIl-ofthehelical conduit is so disposed that the gases leave this conduit'in a direction whichis tangential with respect to the chamber 2 and passout through a centrallyarranged exhaust pipe 8,'thus escaping to the atmosphere by way of the opening 7 14;. y The exhaust pipe 8 should be made as shortas possible inorder to avoid any undue suction effect and the cross-section of the outletopening 14 is made greater than that of the inlet 10. The lower end-of the whirl-k imparting chamber 2'is formed conical and has a flanged opening 13 togwhich may be connecteda pipe(not-shown) leading to a water tank, the opening 13 being used for the the chamber 2. I .7

In the alternative construction illustrated in Figure 3 guide vanes 16 are provided be-' tween thereceiving chamber 3 and-the whirl-' imparting chambe'r'Q in. order to direct the 7 current of gases tangentially and a ring 17- to which the: guide vanes 16 V are operatively connected isv provided for the purpose of varying the angle of'thevanes, and thus the angle at which-the current ofgases-is directed into thefchamber 2, the arrangement being 9 similar to that employed in water turbines.

As shown in the figure, guide-vanes 16- have been provided instead of the helical area 12, represented in Fig. "1, for imparting a whirlj'; 1 ing motion to the current of exhaust gases,

.- 16 may also be usedrsimultaneouslya The operation of'the apparatus is as follows. r The gases flowing from the engines through the'exhaust pipes 4, 5 and 6 into the receiving chamber 3 enter the chamber 2 through the inlet 10 and by means of the helical partition 12 forming one'wa'll of the conduit 9 or, al-

ternatively, by means of the guide vanes 16 have a whirling motion imparted to them; The exhaust gases are thus drawn out, towards the conical point 13 and it is not until they nearly reach this point 13 that they begin to ascend towards the pipe 8 through which they pass out into theatmosphere.

The construction and arrangement above described has the great advantage that no sparks can pass out of the pipe 8, so that the apparatus acts as a spark'arresten- This effeet is obtained not only byimeans of the helical conduit 9 but also by means ofthe circular 1' movement of theigases towards the conical comprising a helical vane extending around the dlscharge conduit and formlng' an annular helicalpassage communicating with the 7 justable guide vanes adjacent the inlet opening for variably directing the current of exhaust gases. I

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature. 1

SIMON GERAR-DUS visKEa point 13 which is set up, and by the longer pev riod thus obtained for the combustion of any solid matter, as well as by the reduction of velocity caused by the suitably dimensioned cross-sections of the inlet and outlet openings. The solid glowing particleswhich are almost always present in the exhaust gases are retained within the chamber and carried round in a circle by centrifugal force until they are I completely burnt. In this way the resistance torthe flow of the gases which is set up by such particles adhering to the sides of'the exhaust pipe is eliminated. Iclaimr 7 t V 1. An exhaust device of the-type described,

7 comprising an exhaust gas receiving chamber,

a whirl-imparting chamber having a closed funnelshaped lower endandan inlet openin near its upper end communicating with S2115" 7 receiving chamber, .adischarg'ebonduit extending downwardly into said whirl-imparting chamber from theupper end thereof, said conduit having a greater cross-sectional area than said inlet-opening, and means for directing a current of exhaustjgases from said re-" ceiving chamber in a helically downwarddi-c rection through said whirl-imparting chamber towarfd said funnel shaped lower endand' up through said conduit, whereby the solid glowing particles entrained in said exhaust gases are maintained"ini constant whirling motion and not discharged through said c'onduit until they have been-reducedto a completely burned and pulverized state. 7 2A spark arrester 'device according to claimf 1, characterized by the provision of means for directing exhaust gases from the a receiving chamber-downward through a whirl imparting chamber and a. upward thence through thedischarge conduit, said means so I 

